U18 Zalgiris Kaunas was crowned 2024-25 Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Finals champion by beating U18 EA7 Emporio Armani Milan 89-81 in Sunday’s Championship Game. The Lithuanians have joined Real Madrid and CSKA Moscow in an exclusive group of only three clubs to have ever lifted three or more Championships.
A game of runs saw the Italian side take a 51-49 edge into the second half, when Zalgiris’ defense tightened up to contain Milan’s offensive weapons, handing their rivals its first defeat of the tournament.
Kajus Mikalauskas paced Zalgiris with 20 points and Majus Bulanovas scored 19, having gone 5-for-8 from deep. Ilja Kurucs bagged 15 points, Dovydas Buika netted 12 and Dominykas Grunkis added 11.
For Milan, Achille Lonati had 26 points, with Luigi Suigo completing a double-double of 21 points and 11 rebounds. Diego Garavaglia registered 13 points and Guglielmo Youssef got 10 in a losing effort.
Milan netted the first two buckets of the game, but Zalgiris responded with a 7-0 run fueled by Mikalauskas. The Italian side went on a 11-2 surge to take a 18-12 lead after a Lonati triple. The Italian guard drilled another one from deep, taking his tally to 14 first-quarter points, but Majus Bulanovas answered from beyond the arc, trimming the deficit to 25-31 after 10 minutes.
A 9-3 spurt allowed Milan to grab a double-digit lead early in the second quarter, but Zalgiris tightened up its defense and replied with a 19-4 run to grab a 47-44 cushion. Yet, another triple from Lonati was followed by buckets from Garavaglia and Suigo, who gave Milan a 51-49 edge at halftime.
Zalgiris opened the third quarter with a 12-2 surge, as Milan went scoreless for the first 5 minutes of the second half. Michele Catalani’s side fought back, with Youssef adding 6 points to his tally, but Zalgiris maintained a 69-64 advantage heading into the closing quarter.
The game turned into a back-and-forth affair before a three by Lonati brought Milan within 74-76. Kurucs and Buika replied from downtown, making it 84-76. Then, Omar Karem nailed one of his own on the other end, but it wasn’t enough for Milan to turn the game around.
